Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards has decided to stay out of public view until after the election, saying he doesn’t want the controversy surrounding his extramarital affair to harm the candidacy of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama.

Edwards canceled an appearance at Hofstra University in Long Island, N.Y., set for Monday. Then he canceled all other public engagements until after the November elections.

“I have decided to avoid any public engagements until after the election in November,” Edwards said in a statement.

“Nothing is more important than electing Barack Obama and Joe Biden,” Edwards said. “I don’t want my appearance at these events to be a distraction from the important issues of the election or from the important purpose of these meetings.”

His New York speech was to have been his first since he went on ABC’s “Nightline” last month to acknowledge his affair.

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